Dependents of Students

Dependent Visa for Canada

Canada is a pro-immigrant country, which has the highest rate of immigrants. People across the world, are moving to Canada to get benefitted from its world-class education system and strong employment market. In the past five years, the number of Indians migrating to Canada has escalated exponentially. The government of Canada permits such migrants to sponsor their family members, allowing them to live, study, and work in Canada.

Continue reading this article, to know more about dependant visas for Canada.

What is a Canadian Dependent Visa?

A Canadian dependent visa is an entry permit that allows a Canadian resident to sponsor their family members (spouse, children, parents, and grandparents) to live with them in Canada.

What is the Eligibility Criteria for a Canadian Dependant Visa?

An Indian living in Canada can sponsor their family members if they meet the following requirements:

They must be over the age of 18 years.
They are either a citizen of Canada, a permanent resident of Canada, or registered under the Canadian Indian act.
They are required to prove that they are not receiving any social assistance.
They are capable enough to provide for the basic needs of their sponsor.

The Family Members should also Meet Certain Requirements to be Eligible for the Sponsorship:

Eligibility criteria for a spouse or a common-law partner:

The spouse should be of at least 18 years of age and legally married to the sponsor.
The common-law partner should be of at least 18 years of age and should be living with the sponsor for 12 consecutive months.

Eligibility criteria for a dependent child:

They are below the age of 22 years. Children older than 22 years are eligible only if their mental or physical condition does not allow them to be financially independent or they have been financially dependent on their parents even before the age of 22.
They are not married or have a common-law partner.

Eligibility criteria for a parent or grandparent:

The parents and grandparents should be related by blood or adopted by the sponsor.
The stepmother, stepfather, or step grandparent can also be eligible as a dependant, only if they meet certain requirements.

Document Checklist to Apply for a Dependent Visa-Canada

Here is the list of documents that are required to apply for a Canadian dependant visa:

A valid Indian passport and travel history information- IMM 5406
Generic application form- IMM 0008, additional family information- IMM 5404, Schedule A- background/declaration- eIMM 5669 must be submitted and filled by the person being sponsored.
Application to Sponsor, sponsorship agreement and undertaking (IMM 1344) must be submitted and filled by the sponsor.
National identification cards of the candidate.
Birth certificate of the candidate as well as the sponsor.
The PR card, Canadian citizenship card, Canadian passport of the sponsor.
Any document that is proof of the relationship between the sponsor and the person being sponsored.
If the candidate is applying for a spouse visa, documents like a marriage certificate have to be submitted.
If the candidate is applying for a grandparent dependent visa, documents like the birth certificate of the sponsor’s parent have to be submitted.
Any document that proves that the sponsor has sufficient funds to sponsor a person.
Additional documents like a police certificate will be required.

How to Apply for a Dependant Visa-Canada?

Follow these 7 steps to apply for a Canadian dependent visa:

Step 1: Get the visa application package. This application package consists of application forms and an instruction guide to fill out the application form.
Step 2: Fill out the application forms- both the sponsor and the person being sponsored must fill in the application forms.
Step 3: Pay the visa application fee. The payment can be made using a MasterCard, Visa, American Express, JCB, UnionPay credit cards and MasterCard, Visa debit card.
Step 4: Submit the application form
Step 5: Send the additional information (medical examination, police certificate and biometrics) during the processing time.
Step 6: Track the visa application online.